Tempus Abrit
by Blue Twilight
Summary: Time has always been an elusive concept. Now, Mulder and Scully learn that anew as they are forced to deal with being thrown back hundreds of years in time. Will they be able to remain strong and united in order to return home? COMPLETE.
1. Universal Invariant

A/N: Okay, I am back to writing a multi-chapter story now. As in most of my stories, it contains little references to the show up to mid-season 7, but nothing that I'd consider a spoiler.

Disclaimer: Neither Mulder nor Scully nor Skinner nor CSM nor anyone else who I may decide to use from the show is mine. This will be my only disclaimer, but it extends for the whole story, as I'm sure you can figure out.

Also, in case you're interested, "Tempus Abrit" means "Time Changes" in Latin.

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**Tempus Abrit**

"Time. A universal invariant? Perhaps. Then again, perhaps not. Suppose, just for a moment, that time is less like a river, always running steadily onward without a stop; and more like a tapestry – many intermingling threads that run straight but are nevertheless entangled as they blend to form a definite pattern. Now imagine that some hand, science or God or a sheer twist of fate, was to pull loose one of these threads and cause it to loop back on itself, allowing room for others to fill the void that it created. To travel from one part to another, from one moment to the next, or even the moment before…"

"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt your elegant poetic ramblings, but are you in essence trying to sell me on the idea of time travel?"

"Come on, Scully. With your background – challenging Einstein in your senior thesis and all – you should know that it is a distinct possibility."

"Theoretically, yes. But humans have neither the stamina nor the technology to do anything like that, and in all likelihood we will not for a long time, if not ever."

"Correct, humans do not."

"Oh my God, Mulder, is this about time-traveling aliens? Please, tell me it's not. I just can't."

He grinned at her, then shook his head and continued, "No, of course not. That's ridiculous!"

She snorted.

"I'm saying, what about fate? Destiny? Karma? God? Whatever you want to call it, that universal transcendent force that we'll never really understand. What about random possibilities?"

"So you're saying that someone could just randomly look up and… kaboom? They would be in a different time period?"

The distaste apparent on her face was enough to make him look somewhat discomfited. "No! Not like that… Well, not quite like that, anyway. It sounds so ridiculous when you say it!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I try to sound more akin to some medieval poet when I speak, as you do?"

She smirked and he gave her a fake pouty look. "You wound me."

"Hey, if you have a better explanation, I'm open to it."

"Some things just can't be explained, you know."

"Look, it's late. I am not going there right now. We can talk about it more tomorrow, if you want, okay?" She grabbed her suitcase and jacket. "You should go home and rest too, you know."

"Sure, right. But tomorrow I will convince you of this."

"Sure, right. Goodnight."

"Night."

She walked out briskly, and he could tell that she was trying her hardest not to roll her eyes. He loved her, but he could not understand how she could be so closed to so many possibilities.

_Home. It's overrated,_ he thought as he pushed back his chair and closed his eyes. He was asleep before he knew it.

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Across town, Scully was getting ready for bed and thinking about what he had been saying. It was an interesting thought, she'd give him that. But she was not in any way convinced. How he could be so sure was a puzzlement to her. Then again,he had always been a puzzle. She deeply admired his strength and conviction, but she just could not share in his unshakable beliefs in various paranormal phenomena.

"Time travel," she murmured as she crawled into bed, shaking her head in wry amusement. "I cannot believe that man."

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift to sleep, wondering if once again she would dream all about "that man" and how much she really wanted him by her side.

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When Scully opened her eyes, she was no longer in her room.

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As usual, please let me know what you think of this beginning and if you'd want me to continue. Review! 


	2. First Encounter

Thanks a lot to **Kennedy Leigh Morgan**, **silence0100**,** Mulder's Girl**, **justawriter**, **midheaven**, **X-Phile**, and **Annie**.

Also, a big thank you to anyone who reviewed any of my one-shots!

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**Chapter 2 – First Encounters**

_Where the hell am I?_

Scully took in her surroundings slowly, half-convinced that she was still dreaming.

She was lying in an open meadow, filled with bright green grass and yellow dandelions. Lush clumpings of trees grew surrounding it and there seemed to be no sign of civilization for miles around. Birds chirped overhead, their calls melding with the lulling sound of water smoothly flowing over rocks not too far away.

The sun was rising slowly, casting a pinkish glow and a shimmer of heat across the landscape. A gentle breeze toyed with her hair, carrying with it the scent of flowers and hay.

It was all impossibly beautiful and tranquil – to the point of being surreal. No place on Earth in this day and age could be this isolated and pure.

Disregarding even that, the dreamlike quality remained. Scully was certain of having gone to sleep in her own bed. She blinked repeatedly and stood up, forcing herself to shake of every remaining remnant of sleepiness. Nothing changed.

She ran her fingers through her hair, confused. She should be panicking, or at least worried, she knew, but her surroundings were simply too tranquil to allow for this. Instead, she began walking across the field at a steady pace, waiting for something recognizable.

Idly, she thought of the conversation that she had been having with Mulder the previous night. _What was he going on about – time travel? That might explain things._

She laughed out loud upon realizing what she had been thinking. It sounded like something Mulder would come up with at a moment like this.

The smile left her face quickly. Thinking of him made her feel inexplicably lonely. This was an unusual experience for a woman who enjoyed alone-time as much as Scully, but there was just something about Mulder that made her want him near her. Maybe being stuck here with him wouldn't be that bad…

She shook her head again. _My God,_ she thought. _I am going to go crazy being stuck here, wherever it is. Look what I'm thinking about already._

Her musings were suddenly interrupted by a resonating noise in the distance. It sounded vaguely recognizable to her. _Wild horses?_ she wondered. _Hopefully not, it seems to be getting closer._

That notion was quickly dispelled by the loud shouting that accompanied the approach.

_What is going on here!_

Finally, the head of the group appeared clearly on the horizon. Scully's mouth actually dropped open. _ I have to be dreaming, _she thought, even as her analytical mind put in, _Then again, if I were dreaming I wouldn't have the capacity to comprehend that O was indeed dreaming, so that's an invalid theory. But…what else could this be? _

It was truly a sight to behold. The horses formed a gigantic procession that seemed to stretch out for miles. Each was decked out in striking mantles and saddle designs. More bizarre still were the riders. Every man was wearing an old-fashioned breeches and a cotton shirt, and carried a sword or bow at their side. The three men riding in front of the group were most impressive. Each wore a full suit of armor bearing the distinctive insignia of what appeared to be some sort or ruling family.

The leader rode forward rapidly, and pulled up expertly at her side. "Here now, fair lady," he began in a booming voice. "Why be you out alone at this early hour of the morn?"

"And in your, may we even call them undergarments, no less?"

Scully took a moment to gawk in shock and amazement.

"My lady, are you quite alright?"

Taking a deep breath, she roused herself and rejoined, "Good morning, um, Sir. I think I'm fine… Actually, I'm not sure how exactly I got here. I went to sleep in my own bed last night, and awakened here. But, more importantly, I am a government agent and I'd like to speak to your boss, please. Whoever that may be."

The leader cocked his head in confusion. "Please, speak not half so quickly, my lady. It sounds like a case of foul play, in which case, I yearn to rectify it for you. I did hear you comment concerning your connection to the central government. As it happens, it is precisely that location to which we are journeying. Therefore, I enjoin you to come with us now, and we shall make it our responsibility to safely convey you to your husband."

Scully tried not to be insulted. _Role-players, perhaps?_ she thought. _Who take their job _way_ too seriously?_

"My husband!" she said aloud. "I'm not married, not that it's any of your business. Anyway, as I told you, I am a special agent of the FBI. I would like to…"

"FBI? What is this that you speak of?"

The second-in-command pursed his lips and murmured, "I fear, my lord, that this woman is not quite right in the head. And a spinster, at that."

The leader nodded, then turned back to Scully. "Please, mam, whomever you may be, I could not bear the thought of leaving a beautiful maid such as yourself alone so far from a town."

Scully stared up at him and seriously reconsidered the dream idea. These men seemed to be completely solemn, and not playing characters at all. "Sir, please, first, tell me what year it is? And in which country I am?"

"In England, my lady. The year is 1475, of course. Are you sure you are alright?"

"I… I don't know." Was there something seriously wrong with these people? Or, maybe, was something wrong with her? She couldn't say for sure anymore. Finally, she looked up at the men's concerned faces, and decided that, regardless, it would be best to get to civilization somehow. "Sirs, I would be very grateful if you could take me to the city."

"City?"

"Um, central government."

"Yes, that is currently located in a castle not far from here."

"Oh. Great."

Scully at last felt that panic begin to set in to some degree. She tried to keep her breath even as a soldier came from behind to give her a woolen blanket in which to wrap herself. Gently, he lifted her up behind him on his horse. "Is this okay, my lady?" he asked, obviously concerned about being chivalrous. "Better than walking, no?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you."

She took a moment to get her bearings as the troop began to move forward again. She eventually recovered enough to look around her. She noticed that the horse to the right of her also held two riders, both facing away from her. The soldier was supporting another man in front of him. He seemed to be just waking up

_A wounded soldier?_ Scully wondered. However, the brown hair seemed familiar to her and… was he wearing _sweatpants_?

She cleared her throat loudly, and the man turned to face her. She gasped involuntarily. "Oh, my God. Mulder?"

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Hmm?"

"Mulder! It's me. Scully."

"Scully?"

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Next chapter: The real action gets started!

In this chap, I tried to work on visual imagery, scenic descriptions, and old-English type dialogue. I would love it if you could let me know how you think I did with that. Please review!


	3. England, 1475

Lots of thanks to **Annie**, **silence0100**, **midheaven**, **justawriter**, **Kennedy Leigh Morgan**, **Flirtatiouspriss**, and **Kate**.

Firstly, I am sorry it's taken me this long to update. But now that school is starting up again, you know how it goes with the work… However, I will try my best to keep updating this at a relatively consistent rate.

Historical Note & Disclaimer: As I'm sure you can imagine, I may be taking some liberties here in order to advance the plot and keep it interesting. For the most part, however, I have tried to base it in reality. King Edward IV was really a British king who reigned from about 1461-1483. His reign was largely uneventful save for some small incidents with killing cousins, so I thought it would be a good setting. I apologize in advance for any mistakes I might make. If there's anything glaring that bothers someone, please let me know. Overall, though, I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Now, on with the story!

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**Chapter 3 – England, 1475**

"Scully?" Once again, he fought to shape off the sleep that held him. He took a deep breath, and once again opened his eyes.

Suddenly, his face lit up and his hazel eyes twinkled. "Scully! Hey! You're here too. Great! I thought I was going crazy there a second."

She gaped at him. "I… I'm still not sure that you're not. I may be going crazy too. I… Where are we?"

He lowered his voice to a whisper, barely managing to keep the excitement out of it. "We time-traveled, Scully! We're in fifteenth-century England."

"What?" She tapped the soldier in front of her. "Forgive me, Sir, but what year is it?"

His eyes widened, but his tone remained neutral as the man responded, "Why, 1475, of course, Miss."

"Ah. Thank you." She smiled vaguely, then turned back to her partner. "1475!"

"Yes. During the reign of King Edward IV. We are going to see him now, actually."

"Mulder, this… It defies logic."

"Exactly."

"But how can you be so excited? Aren't you worried?"

"I was at first, when I woke up alone in the woods, but these guys found me pretty quickly. And as soon as I realized that you were here with me, I had nothing to be scared about."

Scully looked at him incredulously. Shaking her head, she blinked and raised her eyes to the sky as if in prayer.

Mulder grinned and remained quiet until they came within view of the castle

Before he knew it, the procession had arrived in the surrounding town, and everything was chaos. Soldiers walked hurriedly in various directions, stable boys tried to keep horses from bolting, and others continued their afternoon stroll, unaffected by the havoc.

"Mulder!"

He turned to see Scully being led away from him by the arm. "Hey, where are you taking her?"

"To the women's quarters, of course, Sir. She will be well-taken care of. I promise."

"But..."

"No exceptions, sir, commander's orders."

Scully looked confused, but put on a brave face. "I suppose that I'll see you later then, Mulder. See what you can get accomplished and let me know."

She gave him a weak smile, before turning to walk with her escort. Another soldier approached Mulder and said, "This way, please, sir."

Everything took on a dreamlike quality again as he was led through a long series of stone passageways until they reached a large room. Within, a crowd of courtiers fanned themselves as a tall man draped in jewels and gold conversed quietly with another man who was standing next to him.

The soldier who had led in Mulder cleared his throat, and announced, "Your majesty, King Edward IV, I humbly present to you a Mister Fox Mulder. He is interested in joining your noble ranks. He has a strong recommendation from your captain of the guard."

"Yes, I see. So, why did you bring him to me? Can't the commander take care of that himself?"

"Well, your majesty, he felt that you best hear the situation yourself, as it is quite unique. We encountered this man in an empty field. He claims to be from the distant land of the future…"

Some muffled laughs escaped the courtiers, who were now paying full attention. The King raised an eyebrow. "You, Mister Mulder, do believe that you have traveled here from the future?"

Mulder, well aware that he could not afford to appear ridiculous at this particular moment, decided to alter his story for the king. "Um, no, your majesty. There must have been some sort of confusion. I am indeed from a faraway land, however."

"I see. And you intend to serve me why?"

"Where I am from, I specialize in dealings with supernatural circumstances and the like. I figured that you might be interested in exploring these possibilities…"

"Ah. To me, that seems a quite plausible design. We have been having many recent occurrences with witches and demons and the like. Is it with those types of things that you work?"

Mulder tried not to wince. "Um, something like that, Sir."

Well, than, I would permit you to have a place in my service to do this, so long as you are willing to undergo a program of the utmost swiftness that shall train you to be fit to serve as an officer of my kingdom."

"Yes, your majesty, thank you. My partner and I will be very able to meet your requirements…"

"Who is this partner to whom you refer?"

"The woman I arrived with – Dana Scully."

To Mulder's surprise, the king actually chuckled. "Ah, good show. Quite an amusing notion, I confess. In actuality, my chief of training will pair you with someone who seems to exhibit a compatible nature."

"Sir, I was being serious – Scully has always been my partner. She and I work exceptionally well together."

"Ha. I know not from which barbaric society you may come from, but here we keep women in their proper and respectable place – the home."

"May I see her, please?"

"When you complete your training, you shall see her again. That is all. Guard, please lead him to the barracks."

"But…"

A guard not-so-gently took Mulder by the arm and led him from the room. "His highness said that was all. Did you not hear? Come now."

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Scully watched plaintively from her stone window in a tower as Mulder was led away to the training fields. Annoyed, she shifted around in the big skirt and scratchy undergarments forced (or in their words, "bestowed generously") on her. She felt like one of the spineless damsels-in-distress that she had always abhorred in movies, just waiting for someone to go rescue her.

She snorted in amusement. Mulder would give his life for her, but he was no knight-in-shining armor. And she didn't foresee herself growing fifty-foot-long hair anytime soon, either.

"Guess I'll just have to deal with this myself," she murmured. Turning, she planted a big smile on her face for her chambermaid.

"So, when would be the time that I would be allowed to go for a walk? In the garden or something, I mean," she amended at the sight of the maid's horrified face.

"Mam! That would be completely inappropriate. You may not leave the castle without a male escort."

"See, that's the thing. I have a, umm, 'male escort' as you call it. He's just downstairs…"

"He is your husband?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Your brother? Cousin?"

"No. Why…?"

"When the men downstairs spoke of you being from some barbaric country, I believed them not, but now… I reconsider. You would allow yourself to travel alone with a man who is not you husband?"

"He's a close friend, I trust him completely. Really. Customs are very different where I'm from."

"Well, here, you must learn to adhere to our customs. In accordance with them, you shall not be seeing that particular gentleman anytime soon. He is going to be trained to work in the king's service. And once he enters it, doubt not that he will be far too occupied to engage in any more of your trysting."

"We were not trysting! We work together… You know what? Never mind. Everywhere we go we get mistaken for a couple, no surprise that it would happen here at the least convenient time."

"Please, calm down. It is not becoming for a lady to be flustered and prattle on so. You will never get a husband if you continue on like that!"

Scully bit her lip and turned away again, using all of her willpower not to strangle the woman. "Thanks for the advice," she said, not quite managing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"I mean, if you really do like that man you arrived with, and he proves himself of worthy status, I'm sure the King would be happy to arrange a marriage for you both. For, if you don't mind me saying so, he is quite dashing…"

"Dashing? Ah." _Not necessarily the word I would have used, but I guess I could see that, especially in those clothes they gave him…_

"Anyway, mam, I must go attend to another young woman here. I will be back to take you down to dinner in approximately an hour. Now, please behave as a genteel lady would and do not do anything stupid, such as attempt to escape by jumping down to that balcony right under the window. Okay?"

Scully smiled genuinely for the first time and suddenly felt the need to hug the older woman. "Okay. Thank you for everything."

She watched the maid leave, then added, "Especially for telling me how to get out of here."

As she searched the room for any other clothing, Scully idly wondered if the woman simply lacked intelligence, or if she was sympathetic to her plight on some level. Finally, she uncovered a cotton shirt with pants that had apparently been made for a very small man in a drawer. She promptly changed into this, locked her door, and proceeded to the window.

The jump would be a risk, but she felt it was well-worth taking. Drawing in a deep breath, she uttered a brief prayer, then stepped determinedly over the window ledge.

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Please continue to review!


	4. Changes

Thanks a lot to all my readers, especially those who took the time to review! Thanks again to **justawriter**, **midheaven, Annie,** **Claire, KaraLee713, Nathifa Femi**, **Flirtatiouspriss**, **VirgoSweetheart, ArafelSedai, **and **LanaJoy**.

Again, sorry for the time it's taking to update – I'm working on this whenever I have some free time, which sadly has not been until today...

Special disclaimer: I briefly quoted the Robert Frost poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (which is my favorite poem, by the way!). I am sure you know that is not mine, but I'll say it here just to be sure.

Spoilers: Small reference to "Detour", I wouldn't count it as a spoiler, really, its pretty unapparent, but just in case you're really sensitive about those things…

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**Chapter 4 – Changes**

Mulder for one was sick of sackcloth and hard biscuits. These had become the staples of his life during the first couple of days of his training to be a soldier in the king's army. When they had placed him in a sped-up course, they had failed to mention the brutal conditions and hours of difficult, seemingly pointless drills.

But he was determined to persist if it killed him. He needed to do this.

Now, it was the third day. Time to learn forest survival skills. _Woo-hoo,_ he thought.

Unfortunately for him, his proud declaration that he had undergone training to become a certified Indian Guide had made no impression whatsoever on the group of medieval nights.

This was why he was walking through the woods now, searching for the granite stone that was the center of this bizarre treasure hunt.

He yawned, but was secretly somewhat grateful for the chance to be alone and just think for awhile. The fact that he had been thrust head first into this fifteenth century life had caused him to adjust with amazing alacrity. It was not until now that he was truly struck by the idea that he had actually journeyed through time somehow – through that rip in the tapestry that he had spoken of to Scully so recently ago. She had brazenly declared that it was impossible. Now, it seemed she was wrong…

_Scully,_ he thought. _Where _is_ she?_

He had searched for her during nearly all his free time in the past few days, but it had been to no avail. He knew that she was a strong, capable woman, but that did not alleviate the tight feeling he got in his chest when he thought of her.

Living in the middle ages was not his idea of a dream come true, but he could live with it. Never seeing Scully again, though, he could not.

He sighed and looked up at the clear blue sky through the canopy of trees. It was a sight to behold.

But he knew that he could not linger long, as whoever retrieved the stone first would be declared winner among the trainees. He also knew that any distinction eh could earn brought him closer to having his intended position a certainty.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep; but I have promises to keep; and miles to go before I sleep."

Frost's poem came to mind. Suddenly, it occurred to Mulder that Robert Frost would not be born for another three centuries. _It is 1475. _He smiled at the thought. Here he was, living proof of an x-file.

He began to quicken his gait, still watching the sky. It therefore shouldn't have come as such a surprise when his foot sunk abruptly and he feel forward into a bed of moist dirt.

"Damn it!"

He struggles to sit up in the mud. He was having little success until a hand suddenly firmly grasped his flailing one. With that support, he was able to pull himself up and out of the sink-hole. Blushing slightly, he raised his head to thank his fellow soldier.

"Great thanks to you, Sir…" He trailed off and nearly fell back down. "Scully?" he said hesitantly. "Or, uh, Scully's brother? Charlie?"

"Mulder," she snorted. "It's me."

"But your hair, your clothes, your… Um..."

"They won't allow women into training, obviously. I needed to get to you somehow. So, I did what any woman in that situation would do. I bound my chest and tied my hair back."

"Oh, of course."

"Luckily," she said, seeming somewhat annoyed to have to be explaining this. "men in this age often wear their hair long, so it wasn't much of a problem. Here, I'm Daniel. Soon to be Sir Daniel, actually."

"Daniel," he repeated slowly, still trying to get used to this bizarre situation.

"Yes. And you can't forget to treat me as Daniel if we're going to be working together here. I mean, it's unbelievable that you've somehow managed to wrangle a job investigating the paranormal here. It's perfect. We can't afford to lose that opportunity, or we may never find a way to get home."

"Yes. Right. Um, yeah."

"Are you okay, Mulder?"

"Just a little surprised… This is happening pretty quickly and unexpectedly, I have to say."

"Well, we need to make sure we get that job together. I already found the stone, I have it right here. We should go back and claim to have found it together. That way, we'll get across how well we work together, and it will be believable if you request me to be your partner."

"Alright."

Mulder's unusual compliancy surprised Scully, but she could most definitely understand his state of shock. She herself was still reeling from her actions of the past few days.

_What was I thinking? _she wondered vaguely. But, in reality, she already knew. She had been thinking that she needed to find her partner and ensure that, no matter what would befall them here in this strange land, they were together. So she had saved her shock for another time, and just did what she had to do to make it work.

She sighed audibly know, and glanced at Mulder, who was beginning to compose himself.

"Wow, that was just… so odd. Anyway… Hi Scully! Great to see you!"

"You too, Mulder."

"You're looking… um, different, today. I just can't figure out what it is…" His eyes were gleaming with humor now, and she groaned.

"Not a word, Mulder. Not one word."

He grinned and raised his eyebrows, but stayed silent to her relief. They began to walk, and she took out the stone that she had worked so hard for. "So, here it is. A pretty unremarkable thing to have been given such a high value, no?"

"I guess so. But, you know, it _is_ the middle ages."

"I know. But why are you speaking to a spot over my head, Mulder?"

"Oh, no reason."

"Sure." She knew he was still adjusting, but seriously…

They completed their walk back to the campsite in silence, both keeping their thoughts and emotions to themselves. Scully especially was determined to maintain a calm demeanor and act as if nothing was really affecting her. That quality was valued in a soldier, which was quite convenient for her.

So, she remained seemingly indifferent as the commander greeted her and Mulder with a smile and heartily congratulated them. She showed no sign of emotion as the other trainees hissed and snarled their jealously and dislike of the two of them already. _Always outcasts, I guess. Always us against the world…_

She made no motion but a cursory nod when Mulder's request that they work together was accepted readily. She even managed to act as if it had no effect on her when the commander assigned her to share a bunk with Mulder.

But she also knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer without going totally insane.

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As usual, please review and remember that I am open to any suggestions or comments you may have!


	5. Purity

Thanks to **LanaJoy**, **BrittanyLS, justawriter, midheaven, psycho elf**, **meesh26, Tittsmegee, **and **anonymous** for reviewing!

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**Chapter 4 – Purity**

The rest of the week passed with surprising speed. Hard work, work that requires one to think and apply oneself fully, always causes the minutes and hours to slip through one's fingers. Time is a funny thing.

The morning of the knighting dawned bright and clear. Mulder yawned and stretched. He was becoming more and more accustomed to medieval life by the day, and at this point he was not even fazed to find himself staring up at a rickety wooden ceiling. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked over to his partner.

Luckily (or unluckily, perhaps), she had managed to wrangle a room with two twin beds. The room was cramped and tight. There was barely enough room for the essentials - two beds, a chest for clothes, and a dressing screen. Had he been sharing it with anyone other than Scully, he would have killed them by now. Instead, he treasured the closeness. It felt familiar and comforting, the one thing he could hold onto in this crazy time.

It was more than odd for him to have to pretend that she was a man for a majority of the day. He knew it had to be even worse for her. That was why he loved moments like these, when he could just watch her sleeping. He looked at her peaceful face and softly curling hair, then let his gaze begin to travel down where the sheets rested over her curves. She was beautiful now, like this. He could barely comprehend how anyone could ever mistake her for a man.

Her eyes blinked open and she smiled up sleepily at him. "Hey."

"Good morning. Today's the day, you know?"

"Which day?"

"Our official induction into the world of fifteenth-century knighthood."

"A.k.a. my official induction into the world of being a man. God help me."

"Hey, it's not that bad. I mean, you might not like it, but half the population manages to get by…"

"Shut up, Mulder."

"I had the feeling you'd say that."

He grinned at her; she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I need to go start getting ready."

"Have fun!"

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

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Mulder and Scully arrived on the main tournament field an hour later. They stood at attention, along with what had been narrowed down by this point to eight other men.

Sir Galleigh, the knight in charge of training, swaggered out onto the field. He smiled, and began his announcements. "Well, here we are. I must say, men, I have never before trained such a successful group at this accelerated speed. Congratulations are in order. Or, will be in order once you have completed today's ceremonies. This very afternoon, you shall be bestowed with the highest honor that this kingdom affords – knighthood.

As you are aware, the king himself shall knight you. Beforehand, you shall claim before all your allegiance to his majesty and to the church. You shall spend the morning purifying yourself for the rituals."

It was all Mulder could do not to groan out loud. He knew his history well, and he was not looking forward to the lengthy purification rituals required in this time of joint church and state. _Ugh_, he thought. _The vows, the long prayers, the confession, the purification bath…Damn it! The bath, I had forgotten about that…_

Scully did not fail to notice the panicked look that flashed across her partner's face. She gave him a questioning look, then tuned back into what Sir Galleigh was saying.

"After confession, each of you, assisted by your partner, shall take a purifying bath in the sacred St.Gangulphus River. Then we will head to the throne room…"

The rest of what he said faded into irrelevance as Scully suddenly understood what was disturbing Mulder. _We have to take a bath together? That will be just a little awkward. That decontamination shower was bad enough…_

"Okay, everyone. You shall now be heading off to confession."

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It's funny how time also seems to pass by at warp speed towards an inevitable that one wishes to avoid.

Somehow Mulder and Scully managed to get through the morning despite their minds being far away.

Confession entailed a series of elaborate, fictional accounts of misdeeds, such as stealing a cow-pail or overeating. Scully felt guilty about lying to a priest, but she really didn't have a choice in the matter. If she were to tell him what she was really thinking, it would be more than a little problematic.

She could see it now: _Well, you see, Father, I have quite a few things to confess. Firstly, I have been lying to pretty much everyone by pretending to be a man. Yes, I am in fact a woman. But no one needs to know that, right? Anyway, I have another problem: my partner. He and I go back a ways – see, we're here from the twenty-first century, and there we've worked together for seven years and we're best friends. Only thing is, I feel a lot more for him that just friendship. I want… Well, I'm not sure exactly what I want, actually. But I do know that this "purity bath" thing is not going to help whatever weird tension is between us…_Or not.

"Fox and Daniel. As our leading pair, you shall have the honor of going to the river first."

"Great," Mulder muttered.

Silently, they walked out of the chapel and towards the river. When they arrived at the preordained clearing, which was thankfully blocked from others' view by dense clumping of trees, they were met by an attendant bearing white robes.

"Thou shalt not remove fromest thou the sacred drops of blessed water before donning these spotless robes."

With that, he placed the robes on a rock, bowed, and walked away.

Scully looked at Mulder, confused. "Basically," he explained. "We're not allowed to dry off before putting the robes on."

"Meaning that I actually have to go into the water? I can't fake it?"

"I don't think so. Did you bring extra… um… I'm really not sure what the correct term is. But you know what I mean."

"I can reuse the bindings. They just can't get wet…:

"Ah. So…" Mulder awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. "How do you want to do this?"

Scully took a deep breath and tried to act confident and unaffected. "I'll go first. Go over there and turn around."

"Okay, but I don't know that we have enough time. The next guys will be coming here relatively shortly…"

"Fine, then."

Steeling herself and raising her head high, she turned around and pulled her shirt over her head. She began to unwrap the bindings, turning her head over her shoulder to meet Mulder's gaze, defying him to look.

Getting the message, he turned around as well and removed his own shirt. Scully forced herself not to think about the well-defined muscles in his back and how they would look glistening wet.

When all the clothes were gone, she closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and dove into the water. She heard a splash behind her as he followed suit. Her body fully hidden by the blue-green water and white foam, she finally turned to face him.

He was grinning. "Isn't it interesting that this isn't the first time that you and I are soaking wet and naked together?"

She groaned at his raised eyebrows. At least he was still filled with half-joking innuendos, even here, hundreds of years in the past. It was vaguely comforting to her. "Only you, Mulder."

"That's right."

She finally broke down and smiled. Shaking her head, she dipped her hair back in the water and allowed the gentle current to toy with the floating strands. "That feels nice," she sighed.

Mulder bit back the whole range of comments he could have made on that statement. Instead, he allowed his own body to relax into the water next to her.

The wind whispered softly over them as the water lapped at the surfaces of their bodies, creating a sense of being separated from the world. For now, they were just floating in their own moment, completely out of the grasp of time.

Her eyes snapped open in surprise as his hand found hers in the water. His eyes met hers, and she read her own thoughts reflected back in them. _Wherever we are, whenever we are, at least we're together._

Here, open, suspended in the water, joined with Mulder, Scully glimpsed a sense of the calm and purity that this ritual was supposed to bring.

To both of their displeasures, the moment was soon shattered. Far off but persistently approaching shouts of, "Time's up, come on out now, men" were heard loud and clear.

Both immediately scrambled to the bank and pulled on the robes, too panicked to be embarrassed at their respective states of undress.

They had managed to make themselves presentable by the time the next two men approached with the attendant.

Nodding a greeting, they walked back through the forest as silently as when they had come. But any trace of awkwardness between them was gone now. Now, the silence was companionable, existing only because words were not able to express this new layer discovered in the bond between them.

They were knighted, later, side by side.

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Next Chapter: Mulder and Scully embark on a different type of X-File as winter comes to England.

Please review for me!


	6. Wicked

Thanks to **psycho elf**, **BrittanyLS, midheaven, justawriter, meesh26, LanaJoy, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, Severis, **and **Moonlightrosegoddess** for reviewing!

Sorry again for the delay in posting – I didn't think getting this much real life work was possible, lol.

It seems like I may have some free time coming up though, so I will try to update as soon as I can!

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**Chapter 6 – Wicked**

"A witch, Mulder? Please tell me you are kidding."

"I jest not, madam. I mean, uh, Sir."

"Shut up."

He grinned and cocked his head, waiting for her to request more info. She struggled for a moment before finally giving in. "Okay, Mulder, I'll play your game. What gives? I woke up this morning and you were long gone. Then, as I walked over here to our new… Hmm, would you even call this room an office?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "We're stuck in the basement, again, Scully. Just, well, this one actually looks like an old basement."

"Right." Sighing, she continued, "Anyway, I was stopped by Sir Farleigh, who said something to the effect that you 'had caught ye a fearsome hag who, aye, be-eth a witch'."

Mulder chuckled. "How I do love your Scottish brogue, Scully."

"All accents aside, care to explain?"

"Sure. If I could draw your attention to the wall…"

Scully bit her lip to hold in a guffaw. He had tacked a series of reports, drawings, graphs, and other images to the wall. _Poor, slideshow-deprived Mulder._

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just go ahead."

"Okay, _Sir Dan_," he retorted. "Anyway, here's the story. About a month ago, a Madam Kerrilyn Wolf moved into a small cabin on the outskirts of the Corcke Township. Shortly afterward, her neighbors began noticing strange occurrences. These here are five eyewitness accounts of diseased livestock, mysterious hovering lights above her cabin, strange herbal smells wafting through the town… - all the classic signs of witchcraft. And, right here, we have the statements, the proof."

"Um, Mulder? Hate to burst your bubble, but we're in fifteenth century England, now. Peasants can barely read the Bible, forget about being able to write."

"Well…" He shifted uncomfortably. "They were transcribed by the local priest."

"Right, who would have absolutely nothing against a single woman who lived apart from his congregation? Come on, Mulder, you're stretching. A witch?"

"But what if it's true, Scully? I mean, we are in 'Merrie Olde England', after all."

"Huh, you're British accent nearly equals my Scottish one. Really, though. Why would there be any more witches alive back then, um, now, then there are today? Uh… will be?"

"Scarily, I understand your question. And the answer is that there aren't. In the future, however, innovative technology is so widespread and so many various cultures are accepted that it is quite easy for someone to just blend in with the crowd. Nowadays, here, any non-conformist stands out like a sore thumb. So, yes, in all likelihood this is just some poor spinster who's trying to make her living selling herbs. But I put this to you, Scully: what if she isn't? Are you willing to take that chance? 'Cause I'm not."

"I…" She paused and looked up into his eyes, her resolve lost.

"Hey, we're in this together, aren't we? I, per usual, am more than a little skeptical of your crazy theory. But, you know what? If you go to Corcke Township to ask Kerrilyn Wolf to her face if she is an evil witch, I'll be right behind you."

Mulder smiled and looked away, laughing a little to cover how much that declaration really meant to him. "Well, then. I guess it's a-knocking we will go."

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Corcke Township proved to be little more than a small cluster for houses around a dirty, hay-filled main square. Men hurried by with carts and pigs and goats, while women called to their children to hurry up and bring in the water before it froze. Winter was beginning to set in more quickly up north, and the townspeople had little time to prepare for it.

"So." Mulder winced at the view. "This is… not such a sight for sore eyes, I have to say."

Scully turned to him and grimaced. They had just spent the past day riding hard to get here.

"No, Mulder, it's not. Look, let's just find the lady and get out of here."

"May I be of service, Sirs?" A pleasant-looking woman pushing a wheelbarrow full of squash smiled up at them.

Mulder nodded and smiled back. "Yes, actually. We are looking for Kerrilyn Wolfe, we have some questions…"

He paused as the look on the woman's face turned to disgust. "Kerrilyn? What do you want with her?"

By this point, a group of women had stopped to look. At the mention of Kerrilyn, they scowled and turned to each other, whispering. "What ya be wantin' with Kerrilyn?" one snarled. "ye could get it just as easy from any one of us, and ya wouldn't have to have no fear of not wakin' up come morningtime."

"What?" Scully looked at her in confusion.

At that point, a man came up and walked over to the first woman, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Come now, Macey, hurry along. The kids be needing feeding. What'cha waitin' on and gawkin' at?"

"These here knights are lookin' for Kerrilyn Wolfe," she replied coldly.

Her husband's face lit up. "Ah, Kerrilyn. A right saucy lass, if I do say so myself. Can't say I mind her livin' next door now, though, if ya know what I mean…"

Scully couldn't take it anymore. Whirling on Mulder, she hissed, "I thought we were looking for a witch! Not some sort of…"

"A witch ya say?" another woman chimed in, laughing. "Well, that's most definitely what you'll find with her. She lives right up there, that cabin over yonder, just at the border of the woods."

"Thank you." Mulder sighed as he and Scully made their way up the hill. "Maybe she makes love potions or something…"

"Love?" Scully snorted, then jumped down from her horse and began tying him to a branch outside the cabin. Mulder followed suit, then walked with her to the door and knocked.

When Kerrilyn Wolfe opened the door, Scully could suddenly see why all the women of the town hated her. She was absolutely stunning, in a cruel and captivating way. Her long black hair curled gently over her exotic features and toned body. The sheath of black that she wore did not make her pale skin appear washed out, as would be expected. Rather, it seemed to shine with an almost unearthly glow.

Kerrilyn was taking in Mulder's surprised stare with relish. "Why, hello, Sir," she drawled. "How may I be of service?"

"I… Uh…"

Scully cleared her throat impatiently.

"Oh, hello to you too," Kerrilyn said, far less magnanimously. She gave a fake smile, then turned back to Mulder. "Would you like to come in?"

"Um, yeah, that would be great. We just have a couple of questions…"

"We? Oh, oh. Of course, your partner can come in as well."

She laughed lightly. Scully wanted to strangle her. Mulder smiled vaguely and followed her inside. Scully now considered double homicide.

_I am not jealous, _she told herself. _I am just upset with his lack of professionalism. Right._

"So, where are you from?" Kerrilyn was asking when she entered the cottage's main room. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

"We come from pretty far away. Actually, we didn't properly introduce ourselves. I am Sir Mulder, and this is my partner, Sir Scully."

"Ah. Hello."

"What about you, though? Your accent sounds different as well."

"I come from Hell," she said with a fiendish smile and a seductive wink.

Mulder coughed and looked away. Scully snorted. "Figures."

"Hell, Port's Grove. It's a small community in southern England. We're a little removed from the rest of the populace."

"Oh." Mulder looked disappointed. "So, you are not in fact from Hell? Like, you know…"

"Are you asking me if I am an enchantress, Sir Mulder?"

"Well… yes."

"Quite an interesting proposition. I would love to been one, to tell the truth. However, I find that I do just as well without magical powers."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scully asked. Kerrilyn shot a disgruntled look.

"Well, what do you think it means, Sir?"

"I couldn't guess."

Kerrilyn snorted. "Well, anyway… Would you like some tea, Sir Mulder?"

"Actually, do you have root beer?"

Scully rolled her eyes as Kerrilyn grinned. "Why, yes, I do. It's home-brewed, if you don't mind."

"That's fine."

She began to leave, then paused and said over her shoulder to Scully, "You?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Kerrilyn walked out happily into the kitchen. Scully turned towards Mulder, shocked to find him smiling at her.

"What?"

"That was just a little ungracious, Scully." He looked as if he were about to start laughing.

"She's just… intolerable, Mulder. Intolerable. _What_ is so funny?"

"I haven't seen you this ruffled in awhile. Come on, Scully, you're not jealous, are you?"

She mocked disgust. "Are you kidding me?"

He sobered a moment. "Probably. But, just in case, Scully, you have no reason to be. How many other women could pull off wearing a full suit of armor that hides pretty much everything and still look good, right?"

The joking smile was back now. Scully shrugged. "Whatever, Mulder. If you want to believe that…"

"Hey, come one. Sure, she's beautiful, but there's just something… I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but something's just not right with Kerrilyn Wolfe. I mean, there are plenty of slutty women around, even in this time, yet she inspires that much loathing throughout the village. It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe we should just leave it alone, Mulder. Go home."

"No. Sorry, Scully, but I don't think we can do that. I mean, not only is she highly suspicious, but she may be in danger here if those townspeople get too rowdy. I think we should take her back with us."

"What?"

"I mean, she'd fit in better in the city than here, anyway, and we can find out more about her and keep her safe simultaneously…"

"But Mulder, really. Bring her back with us? That bit… I mean, um, witch?"

He gave her an amused grin. "Now, Scully, be reasonable. She's not a witch."

She glared and muttered, "Hmm, what option does that leave?"

Mulder raised an eyebrow, then turned abruptly as Kerrilyn reentered the room.

"Well, I'm all packed, Sir Mulder," she announced cheerily.

Scully's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

"I couldn't help but overhear you… I put the drinks in a canteen for the road. We don't want to be stuck out at night, so we should get moving right away."

"How long were you standing there for?"

"Oh, long enough." She waved vaguely with her arm, then picked up her bag and walked out the door. "I'm going to go saddle my horse, Nightwolf."

"She's trouble, Mulder. And, no, I'm not saying that I think she has any magical powers or whatever to speak of. She just… is."

"Don't worry, Scully. We're together; we'll be back before nightfall... I think we'll be fine. I mean, come on, how much trouble could this one woman be?"

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Next Chapter: Dealing with Kerrilyn and looking for a way home.

I love reviews, and I find them really encouraging – please give me some feedback!

- Also, I wanted to get the word out about my new X-Files website. On it, I have my original music videos, news, episode reviews, and links to my fan-fiction. I would also really appreciate some feedback for this too; I want to see if anyone's interested in my continuing to update it. Feel free to look around and contact me to let me know what you think. Thanks for your support!

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	7. Home

Thanks to **justawriter, LanaJoy, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, Claire, KaraLee713, **and **BrittanyLS**!

Just in case this isn't totally clear, much time has passed since the last chapter here.

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**Chapter 7 – Home**

"Do you ever think about getting home, Mulder?" Scully was staring up at the ceiling of their darkened room, her eyes tracing the shadows of branches swaying in the wind.

"Hmm?

"Oh, sorry to wake you." She still could not get over how easily he was able to sleep here, considering his usual near-insomnia.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm up." He looked over at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know… I've just been wondering about it a lot lately. I mean, in the beginning we devoted so much time to trying to figure out a way back, and now…"

"Now we've settled in. Accepted how things are and rolled with the changes, as always. And we're together on this one. Right?"

"But I miss it, Mulder. I miss my home, my mom… Hell, I even miss my idiot brother. Don't you miss anything?"

"Besides indoor plumbing and cell phones, you mean?"

She glared. "Anyone, then?"

He paused, then replied sadly, "I guess I don't have anyone left to miss, at this point."

"But it doesn't bother you? Giving up the life you'd been leading, your whole existence?"

"Here, people believe us, Scully. We're heroes. We're making a difference. Hundreds of years into the future, we're seen as crackpots. Of course I like it better."

"You really expect me to believe that no one sees us as odd here? Despite the fact that we've hunted down more ghosts than I can count, a "goblins", and a witch that we brought home with us, among other things?"

"I didn't say they didn't think we were crazy. Just here, it's the good kind of crazy…"

She managed a small smile. "You're grasping, Mulder."

"Hey, I do my best. We're stuck here, regardless…"

"I know. But it doesn't help all the things that I've lost. And, most of all, I miss…"

She was interrupted by a loud, piercing sound from the next room. Mulder started. "What the hell…?"

The sound drew out until it became distinguishable as an attempt at a song. Scully winced. "Great. She's at it again."

Since Kerrilyn Wolfe had taken up residence within the palace walls, there had been no sign of her being a witch. She had, nonetheless, kept their lives interesting. She was easily bored, and constantly sought out new ways to attract attention to herself, especially from one Sir Fox Mulder.

Lately, she had taken up singing, if you could call it that. Secretly, it gave Scully more than a little pleasure that there was something that Kerrilyn was actually horrifically bad at, but she would never admit that out loud. Instead, she queried, "How are we supposed to sleep like this?"

"Um… How about this? I'll go talk to her."

"Is that such a great idea?"

"What's she going to do, jump me?"

"At this rate, I wouldn't be all too surprised if she did just that," she muttered.

Mulder grinned at her before walking out and down the hall to the next door. He knocked tentatively. "Hey, uh, Kerrilyn?"

Her door flew open and she gazed happily at Mulder. "I knew you'd come eventually. Well, what are you just standing there for? Come in, come in."

"Actually, I was just here to ask a small favor."

"Anything."

"Sir Scully and I are trying to get to sleep, so if you wouldn't mind keeping it down a little…"

"Oh." She sniffed angrily. "So you just want me to shut up, is that it?"

"No! No, that's not it at all…" Mulder trailed off awkwardly. They hadn't proven definitively that Kerrilyn was not a witch, and he didn't want to take any chances. "It's just that your singing is so lovely that it is distracting us, and we really must sleep – we have work tomorrow. But I would love to hear you more at any other point…"

"Tomorrow, at the ball?"

"What?"

"The ball, silly. The king's big birthday bash? I'm the entertainment." She laughed huskily and grinned. "You'll save me a dance?"

"Um, sure. Why not?"

"Good. Have a nice sleep then."

"Goodnight."

Shaking his head, he reentered his room and closed the door behind him. He remained standing, trying to make out Scully's shape in the dark room. "She stopped."

"Yeah, I know. My ears aren't bleeding anymore." She laughed humorlessly. "Thanks. Goodnight, then."

"Hey, hey. You never finished your sentence."

"Never mind. Let's just go to sleep."

Instead of going over to his bed, however, he sat down at the foot of hers. "Tell me. What do you miss even more, Scully?"

She didn't answer for a moment. Then, "In case you didn't notice, Mulder, I'm a man here," she replied harshly.

He froze, sensing her hurt and anger. "Of course…"

"And obviously, that fact is easily forgettable to you. Whatever. It's not that important. Just go."

"It's not that at all. I always see you as you, Scully. Definitely a woman. Regardless of what you're wearing."

"Sure."

He turned her body so she faced him, his hands brushing over her curves in the process.

"What?" She tried to sound affronted, but her voice was failing her. A tear came unbidden to her eyes, and she buried her face in his chest for comfort. "I just want to go home."

He nodded and stroked her hair. "Home is a relative word, I think," he whispered. "But if you want to try to find a way back to the twenty-first century, then I'm right there with you. We can make it our number one priority."

She nodded and whispered her thanks, then finally allowed her body to relax and drift to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

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Okay, short chapter, I know, but it's a transition one.

The direction that I want to take this is in becoming clear to me now. I'm estimating that in total this will be about twelve chapters, with the romance factor being boosted a lot, especially in the next couple.

I hope you'll like it, and, again, if you like what you read, please let me know that you're interested by reviewing!


	8. Inexplicable

Thanks to **KaraLee713**, **midheaven, meesh26, justawriter, Moonlightrosegoddess, **and **Severis** for their reviews!

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**Chapter 8 – Inexplicable **

Scully blinked her eyes open slowly, trying to get a grip on where she was. _Am I home? _she wondered wearily. _No, not home, but not my bed, the light pattern is all wrong, hmm, last night… Kerrilyn, God-awful singing, Mulder… Mulder!_

She started at the recollection of how she had fallen asleep the previous night, and reached out desperately, finding the bed empty. She felt a keen sense of loss come over her, which she didn't understand as she was quite used to waking up alone by this point.

When she finally sat up, she saw Mulder standing at the foot of the bed, watching her with interest. "Looking for something, Scully?"

She flushed and glared at him. "I just couldn't figure out where I was for a moment. I'm fine, thanks."

He raised an eyebrow, but nodded and turned to gather some clothes that were heaped on the floor behind him. Scully fought back a sigh. _That's right, act like nothing happened. Just like we always do…_

"So, today's the day of the big ball, right?"

"Yep. King Eddy's birthday."

"Eddy?"

"I don't call him that to his face, of course. Anyway, do you have any plans? Cause I'm guessing that you're not waiting with baited breath to dance with all the beautiful women, eh? I'm perfectly willing to skip it with you, if you want. We could…"

"No, Mulder, you go have fun. I'll just do my own thing. I've been waiting for some nice alone time. Being with you nearly every hour of my life is kind of exhausting."

"Yeah, I could imagine." He smirked and went behind the dressing screen, pulling on what had become "comfortable clothes" – leggings that felt like sackcloth and a loose white tunic.

"They requested that we get there early to help set up, then get to our five o'clock with the tailor for dress clothes. Want me to make some excuses for you?"

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No problem. See you later tonight."

He walked out, and Scully allowed herself to collapse back onto his bed.

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Three hours into the ball, Mulder had reached the conclusion that Scully was not missing much. The king's ball was nothing like what he would deem a good party. From what he could tell, it pretty much involved a lot of tobacco-snuffing and waltzing. Neither of him interested him much, especially with Kerrilyn hanging on him.

"I'm honored to have this dance, Sir Mulder, really," she was saying.

"The pleasure's all mine, Kerrilyn."

She smiled. "I'm glad someone still has eyes for me. When this ball started, I was simply the life of the party, but now that _she_ is here…"

"Who?"

"This mysterious lady who showed up halfway through. _So_ irritating. All the men are completely flabbergasted. She's not even that pretty, in _my_ humble opinion. Pale-skinned, a redhead – that's a sign of vampirism in some cultures, did you know? Hey, wait, where are you going?"

Kerrilyn stomped her foot and hissed in protest as Mulder abruptly dropped her arms and turned to go off to find this woman. "Hey, come back! Come back! Oh, you'll regret this, I swear it…"

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Scully smiled happily as yet another good-looking gentleman twirled her around the dance floor. It was amazing to feel like a woman again, after so long. She was suddenly extremely thankful that she had held on to that one dress from her first day here, when she was the genteel lady…

The man that she was currently dancing with, Lord Weatherby, was looking at her with a glow in his eyes, but that and everything else around seemed to fade away as she caught the eye of the one man she had come here looking for. Their gazes locked, and she couldn't help but freeze.

"Pardon me, dear lady, are you quite alright?"

"Um, excuse me, Sir, I think I need some, uh, water. I'll… I'll be back."

She walked past him and over to Mulder. She stopped a few feet away, just taking him in. He looked even better than she had imagined. And his intense look suggested that he was thinking the same thing about her.

"So, Scully, did you want to dance?" He laughed softly. "Come, on, I don't bite, I promise."

She went into his arms slowly. Everything was starting to take on a slow, dream-like quality.

…

"A walk, my lady?" he inquired, affecting a slight British accent. She couldn't help but smile.

"How could I refuse when you ask like that?"

He led her out to the terrace, which shone in the moonlight, highlighting the flowering gardens surrounding it. Scully wasn't sure how she felt. Being here with him was amazing, but it all seemed wrong somehow, like she had accidentally slipped into a scene from a romance novel instead of real life.

To her surprise, however, Mulder didn't stop. Rather, he lifted her over the terrace fence, then jumped after and continued leading her on, away from the palace lights. "Mulder, where are we going?"

"You'll see." They walked on, soon entering the long stretch of surrounding forest.

Finally, they entered a clearing with a small pool of water at its center. The canopy of trees overheard blocked out the moonlight, leaving Scully near blinded. Were it not for Mulder's arms holding her steady, she would be stumbling all over the place. "Um, Mulder?"

"Shh. Just watch." He edged her a little closer to the water, until she could see it rippling gently through the darkness.

Suddenly, a tiny spark shot through the water. Scully glanced quickly at Mulder, looking questioningly. He just inclined his head back towards the water. "Keep watching," he whispered in his ear.

The water began bubbling softly, and the bottom of the pool glowed a hazy gold. The light spread out until it broke the surface of the water, illuminating the entire clearing, first gold, then blue, purple, green. The water began shooting up in little gusts, the lights dancing with them. A final, dazzling white light shot out, sending a thin mist sprinkling over the watching pair. And then, it was over.

It was inexplicable. It was spectacular. And it was pure Mulder.

She turned in his arms to face him. "When… how did you find that?"

"I was taking a walk a couple of weeks ago, during the last full moon, and I saw the lights. I was amazed; I wanted to show everyone…"

"I'm surprised you didn't."

"I wanted to be able to show you first. Only you."

"So, you don't even have a crazy theory about it?" Scully laughed gently.

"No," he replied softly. "I think some things are better left unexplained. When you pick something apart, you so often lose the beauty of it. It's far too easy to overanalyze things, in our time and in these days. Maybe, sometimes, we just need to be…"

Mulder leaned towards her and she caught her breath as his lips touched hers. The kiss was soft, gentle, at first, but began to intensify as his arms came around her waist.

He pulled back for a moment to gauge her reaction. Their eyes met for a moment, air sizzling between them, before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth back down to hers.

They finally pulled apart, needing to breathe. Scully shivered a little at the loss of his heat. "It's getting cold."

"Yeah, let's head back." Mulder put his arm around her and led her out of the forest. She found that she had to lean on him for support. She felt lightheaded and unsteady, the lights and the moon and his kiss creating a dreamy haze. Happiness was such a fleeting thing for her, ungraspable as air. So she allowed herself for once to enjoy the feelings rushing through her, to stop worrying about the next moment, and just be.

He stopped and kissed her again on the terrace. The time, she took his hand to lead him back to their room. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a voice that Scully had come to hate with a passion.

"Sir Mulder? Where are you? Sir… Oh, here he is!"

Kerrilyn walked out onto the terrace, followed by Lord Weatherby and a crowd of eager onlookers. The lord looked quite apparently surprised and disgruntled upon seeing Mulder with the beautiful redhead he had been dancing with. Being a court-reared gentleman, however, he tried to hide this by clearing his throat.

Out loud, he said, "Sir Mulder, we have great need of your assistance. Please, go rouse your partner and get back here as soon as possible."

"What happened?"

"Lady Rochester has fallen ill with a strange affliction. It has the appearance of witchcraft!"

Both Mulder and Scully looked towards Kerrilyn wearily; she smiled and waved at them innocently. "I am so sorry to interrupt whatever you had going here, really, but we just really need your help."

Mulder nodded and began striding towards the dormitory, registering no reaction on his face. Scully waited until the crowd filtered back inside, then slipped after him.

"Just our luck," he muttered when she caught up to him.

She nodded in agreement, and felt cold reality bite in as she went to go change back into the person she wasn't.

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Please review everyone!

Next chapter: Finally, after all this time…


	9. Feminine

Thanks to **justawriter, Me, midheaven, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, LanaJoy, Meesh26, Kate, **and **Severis. **

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**Chapter 9 – Feminine **

Scully sat quietly on the balustrade, the crisp wind rushing against her face, which was no longer protected by her now-long hair. This was now pulled back tightly and covered with a cap. The makeup was gone, along with the jewelry and the luxurious dress, replaced with sackcloth and the tight bindings that cut into her skin.

She sighed heavily. _Somehow, I saw last night ending slightly differently. _

As she and Mulder had been walking back to her room, she had allowed wild fantasies to take hold. She has imagined getting to their room, locking the door, turning to face him, and feeling him take her in his arms and…

But that was not to be. Instead, she has spent the night caring for Lady Rochester. The lady had not, in fact, been bewitched. She had just come down with a particularly bad case of dysentery. But Scully, being a doctor, hadn't been able to bring herself to leave the kindly older woman to suffer. So, she had done the best she could to make Lady Rochester company, and insisted that Mulder go back to the dormitory and get some rest.

Which was how she had arrived at this point, alone, as dusk once again claimed the land. She watched the people she had grown familiar with walk slowly past her, on their way to a late supper. Lord Weatherby. Sir Caret, Duke Rockland… all the men with whom she had danced the previous night. All the men who had showed her such admiration, who had treated her as someone special and beautiful. They now passed her buy with barely a curt nod.

Scully bit her lip and shut her eyes to the tears that suddenly threatened to spill over. As foolish as she felt for the sentiment, she missed that attention. She was no supermodel, she knew, but back home, she had grown accustomed to being noticed by men. It was perhaps a flaw in human society, but it was the truth - far more attention is paid a beautiful woman then a short, effeminate man. Mulder noticed her, of course, but she couldn't shake the recollection that he only acted when she had worn that dress.

_Am I that repulsive to all of them like this? Not that it matters. I repulse myself. Being what I'm not, living a lie day in and day out. I need to get home._

"Sir Scully, are you quite alright?" Lady Rochester's maid ambled out onto the terrace, but Sir Scully was already gone.

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Mulder found her sitting down on her bed in their room when he got in from dinner in the mess hall.

He sat down next to her on the bed, taking in her sad face with concern. "What's wrong, Scully?"

She sighed and decided to not pretend everything was fine for once. "I just feel so… unlike myself. Like a fraud, which I am, but worse… like I'm lying to myself along with the world."

"About what?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding?"

He flushed and looked down. "I get _that_ part. I mean, about the lying to yourself. You know you're a woman, so…"

She shook her head in annoyance. "Men. You just don't get it. I guess I expected differently from you, but… Sometimes it seems like none of you see anything beneath the surface. 'I know I'm a woman, so I'm perfectly fine.' Right. You think it's that simple…"

"Maybe that's not always a bad thing. Maybe sometimes you look too deep into something. Maybe it is that simple."

"I just feel so unlike myself. I feel ugly and unfeminine…"

He smiled and took her face in his hands. "You could never be ugly. And, trust me, you are very feminine…"

"But…"

He leaned down to kiss her gently, silencing her protest. She froze for a moment before responding and letting herself become lost in the feel and the taste of him.

His hands slid along her body, pulling at her loose shirt. She broke the kiss and stood up hurriedly.

He looked abashed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go too quickly…"

She smiled softly, and blushed a little. "No, it's not that at all. Just, we should probably lock the door…"

"Good idea," he said breathily, returning her smile.

Once the door was locked and bolted, she uneasily made her way back to the bed where her lover was waiting. He held her as she insinuated herself between his legs, leaning in for another long kiss. She began to unlace the strings on his shirt, gently stroking his chest, stopping only to lean back and remove her own shirt.

She raised her arms and allowed him to slowly unwrap the bindings from her chest. When this was done, he gave her a long look, then pulled her close to him again.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

She looked him straight in the eye. "Yes. I think this is finally our time…"

She pushed him back onto the bed and for a moment they just lay there, enjoying the warmth of each other's skin.

Mulder gazed up into Scully's eyes, and knew that everything they had been through in the past month was worth it, if just for that one wonderful instant.

He lifted his head to kiss her again and she glided her hands through his hair, then lower. As they finished undressing each other, he gently rolled her over onto her back and began kissing a path down her neckline. Scully leaned into the pillows, her breath becoming shallow, and she ran her fingers along his muscular arms. Mulder felt his pulse quicken and he knew that this was exactly where he wanted to be. Scully couldn't agree more.

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Outside, the moon shone and the stars twinkled brightly. The little pool in the clearing bubbled and shimmered, as if aware that this night was one of transformations.

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Next Chapter: Kerrilyn is determined to get to the bottom of Sir Mulder and Sir Scully's newfound closeness.

This was on the short side, I know, but important nonetheless. The next chap will be lengthier.

I'd been planning this chapter for awhile. Please review and let me know how you think it turned out!


	10. Rumours

Thanks to **Anon, Kate, justawriter, midheaven, LanaJoy, BrittanyLS, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, Meesh26, **and **Claire** for continuing to review!

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**Chapter 10 – Rumours **

Once again, Scully blinked her eyes open slowly, trying to get a grip on where she was. This time, however, she felt encircled by warmth.

She slowly looked over and found herself resting comfortably in Mulder's arms. Memories of the previous night came rushing back to her, and she couldn't help smiling. "Finally," she whispered, nuzzling his neck.

"Hmm?" he murmured, only half-awake.

"I'm just happy, for once, that's all," she replied, running her fingers along his chest.

"Yeah, me too."

"Strange as it sounds, I really could just lay here with you all day, regardless of what time we're in."

"Strange? Thanks."

"You know what I mean."

"I could, too. But really, we should get up."

"I know. We should." She made no move to rise, rather snuggling even closer to him. "But let's not, just for once."

Neither moved until well past noon, when the horn signaling dinner commanded the presence of all knights.

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That afternoon, the knights were gathered around the table for dinner. Scully could have sworn that they got some askance looks from the others, _Calm down, you're just being paranoid. You have spent_ way _too much time with Mulder. Come on, really, how could they even begin to suspect anything? _she chided herself.

Everything seemed back to normal, now, however. Scully and the men sat around eating and taking turn telling jokes.

As the meal drew to a close, it was the turn of Sir Arthur, a young, newer knight who was eager to please. "Ooh, ooh, I have one, guys! Why did the chicken cross the road?... To escape the palace cook!"

The joke was met with silence from nearly everyone. Mulder, however, felt badly for the novice. He forced himself to laugh heartily and put his hand on Sir Arthur's arm. "Good one, Arthur!"

Sir Arthur suddenly froze. Everyone at the table glanced over and whispering began.

Mulder moved his hand and looked at Arthur, confused. The man looked very much as if someone had just placed a venomous serpent on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"I don't need directions to anywhere! I'm fine on my own!"

"What?"

Sir Arthur rose rapidly and backed away. "Look, man, I don't swing that way."

"Excuse me?"

"Just don't touch me!"

"Yeah, don't touch any of us!" another man joined in.

The rest stared at him, waiting for his move.

"Look, I don't know what the problem is, but if I'm making you uncomfortable I'll just leave now. Hopefully you'll have some more sense tomorrow."

With that, Mulder and Scully stepped hurriedly into the hallway, waiting to commence speaking until the door had closed heavily on the still silent dining hall.

"What the hell was that about?" Scully hissed.

"How the hell should I know? I was just trying to be friendly by laughing at that stupid joke, and he was acting as if I had gotten down on one knee and proposed marriage!"

Scully looked at him contemplatively. "No offensive whatsoever meant, but um, I think they think that you are, well."

"Gay?"

"Yes. And apparently, they're more than a little homophobic here."

"Yeah, I noticed that. But why would they think it in the first place?"

"No idea. You look fine to me."

"Yeah. Interesting, isn't it? That I'm the one seen as effeminate?"

Scully chuckled. "Yeah. I don't know, what would they think of as more 'manly'? Maybe you should rough up your hair a little or something - it looks combed, which is far more than I can say for any other guy in there."

They both smiled as she reached up and started ruffling his hair.

At that moment, the dining hall door swung open and a crowd of their fellow knights was staring at them. Scully started and backed away quickly. The knights looked warily at each other, then filed past the couple hurriedly, taking great pains to stay as far away from them as possible.

"Ah," remarked Mulder once they had passed out of the hall. "I don't know, Scully. I just can't figure out when they think we're gay."

She snorted at this.

"In all seriousness, though," he continued. "We've been careful. And it's been two days! Who could have figured it out in that time? Who would care enough to spend their days watching us?"

A look of recognition filled both their faces simultaneously. "Kerrilyn."

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Mulder knocked angrily on Kerrilyn's door, Scully close behind him. The door swung open and Kerrilyn peered out, clutching at her robe. "Oh, hello. Come in, I suppose. Normally, I'd be more modest, but with you two it really wouldn't matter, now would it?"

"That's what we need to talk to you about," Mulder said, gritting his teeth as he and Scully stepped into her room. "Why are you spreading these rumors?"

"Well, it's true, isn't it? That you're a couple?"

"No."

"Oh, come off it. It is quite obvious, once you start looking. Body language, the way you two look at each other, the way you speak. Oh, I was so happy once I realized it. Before, I had started to feel insulted, actually. I couldn't figure out why you weren't attracted to me."

"A little full of yourself, Kerry?" Scully snarked.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Mulder interjected. "I still don't get why you felt the need to spread your ideas among the general populace of the palace."

"Aren't you the one who's always going on about how the truth should be known to the world? Well, I completely agree. Even better for me, if this gets around to the right person, you're little friend here could be fired. I'm sure that you are way too valuable; they wouldn't do that to you. But him. Ooh, that'll be nice."

Scully put her hand out to still Mulder's flinching arm. The last thing that they needed was for reports to circulate about him hitting Kerrilyn, on top of everything else. "I'm standing right here, you know," Scully told Kerrilyn angrily. "So don't insult me. Also, don't you assume that you know the first thing about either of us. You have no proof of anything. Given this, the rumors will soon die down and people will realize how ridiculous they were."

Kerrilyn gave her an obviously fake sympathetic look. "You know what? You're right, Sir Scully. I will stop spreading rumors without proof."

Mulder and Scully eyed her warily, but seeing nothing more that they could do short of murdering the woman on the spot, they turned and walked back to their room.

Mulder flopped down on his bed as Scully closed and locked the door behind her. He shook his head in disbelief. "They think you're gay," he muttered.

"Hey, at least I really am a woman. They at least got the gender preference part right. What's even better: they think that _you're_ gay."

They met each other's eyes, upset for a moment. Then, Scully broke out into a grin. Mulder followed suit. Soon, they were both laughing uncontrollably. When she had calmed slightly, Scully removed her shirt and shoes and slid into bed beside him. She rested her head on his chest and looked up into his hazel eyes, still grinning. He tightened his arm around her waist, his laughter turning into a tender smile. She loved when he looked at her like that. It made her feel happy and loved and safe.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as the door splintered and fell in. Scully jumped to move, but the damage was done. No less than twenty knights and servants, led by Kerrilyn, were standing there, gaping at the two of them. Slowly, a grin spread across Kerrilyn's face. "See there, Jim," she said haughtily, turning to the captain of the guard. "Proof."

He nodded, eyes wide, then seemed to snap himself back into commanding officer mode. Anger and disgust flooded his face. He strode forward toward the bed.

"This is an abomination!" he bellowed. "I will impose the severest punishment for this!"

He grabbed Scully and dragged her out of the bed, throwing her onto the floor. A second round of gasps sprang up from the crows when he stepped back, giving everyone a good look at her. In this position, without her loose shirt, the purpose of the binding became quite evident.

Even Kerrilyn seemed completely stunned by this development. "A woman?" she squawked. "But. How the hell could no one have noticed that?"

A maid stepped forward, yelling "That's the girl! That red-haired stranger woman who just disappeared from the tower. Be careful with her, now, Captain. She's a tricky one."

"Yes, I would imagine so."

Another knight approached Scully and wrapped a cloak around her. He grabbed her and began marching her out the door. Mulder rose in protest, but he was soon grabbed by two other men.

"It's to the dungeon with both of you, now. You shall wait there while I have a long talk with the Lords and we decide what to do with you."

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Scully sat silently in her cell, miserable. She heard Mulder shuffling around his adjacent cell, but she was too tired to move. Everything had happened so quickly before. She still couldn't quite process it all…

A clang sounded as someone entered the dungeon and began walking down the row of cells. She looked up to see Captain James peering in at her.

"So, Scully. If that's even your real name. You are in luck. I, along with most of my peers, was prepared to deem you incorrigible and sentence you to death. However, Lord Weatherby spoke up and offered what he believes to be a far more humane proposal. He believes that it is possible to get you on the right path, if only you were given the proper circumstances. To this purpose, he will wed you tomorrow morning at noon."

"I'm supposed to be relieved by that?" Scully spat, indignation taking precedence over fear. "I would never marry that old man!"

"Defiant, eh? Marriage is, of course, your choice. If you prefer, you may save us the work of a trial and consent to being hanged tomorrow at the same time."

She gaped at him, speechless.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. "Make a choice. I need to tell the servants whether to prepare for a party or a funeral."

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Next chapter: It's the penultimate chapter, so you know things are going to get intense…

Please keep reviewing!


	11. This Beeth Not Happening

Thanks to **the music is no good without you, midheaven, justawriter, BrittanyLS, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, meesh26, Carlo, **and **Claire** for reviewing!

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**Chapter 11 – This Be-eth Not Happening **

"Well?" he asked impatiently. "Make a choice. I need to tell the servants whether to prepare for a party or a funeral."

She gulped. _When he puts it like that… _"Fine. I'll marry him."

"Good."

He roughly pulled her out of her cell and threw her into Mulder's. "We have some far worse criminals coming down here. Usually I wouldn't care who I was mixing, but I'm sure the old Lord wouldn't want his lady damaged…" Shrugging, he turned to leave. "See you tonight, Dana."

The instant the door closed behind him, Mulder turned to Scully and began to protest. "Scully, how could you agree to that? I can't believe it. We have to…"

"Shh," she said softly, putting a finger to his lips. "There's nothing we can do now. This way, we both live at least. You can swear your allegiance to the king, keep working, maybe do something great. Maybe even get home. And I… Well, I could learn to be happy. I'm adaptable. Maybe…"

Mulder looked at her sadly. "You look so hopeless, Scully. It hurts for me to see. What happened to being confident that we could find our way home? What happened to not giving up? To fighting the future? Um, the past. You know what I mean. Just don't give up on me now. Please."

"It's not really a choice, when it's that or death…"

"I'd rather risk death alone than a life without you." He froze at this. It sounded so typical of a line you would here in some epic story, not something that any ordinary person could actually feel. It gave him a shock to realize the strength with which he felt this.

He gently wiped the tears from her eyes. "I think we have a chance."

"How is that possible?"

"I'm friendly with the guard who's coming on duty in about five minutes. He likes me and, more importantly, my money." He pulled a small pouch from his pocket, opening it slightly to show off the sparkling gold coins that filled it. "Good thing I grabbed these just in case, eh?"

"Just in case we got locked up and sentenced to marriage or death? Mulder, your mind works in mysterious ways, I have to say. For once, though, I'm thankful for that."

He gave her a tight smile, then continued explaining his plan. "He can let is out, and we can escape into the forest. From there. Well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it, so to speak. For now, we just need to focus on getting out of here safely."

"Okay."

"Hear those footsteps? That's probably our friend the new guard. Let me go call for him."

"Mulder, wait one second."

"Yes?"

He turned back to her. She rested a hand on his chest and said softly, "In case anything goes wrong. I want you to know." Her voice began to waver again.

"I know." He put his arms around her and pulled her close. They shared a brief but tender kiss before he pulled back. She gave him a shaky smile as he stepped to the cell wall and called the guard.

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It had been almost too easy. Sir Rudolph had been eager to help them after seeing the pouch. He had even gone so far as to distract the guards in the castle's outer chamber as well.

Now, Mulder and Scully were in the forest, stumbling into that well-remembered clearing. The pool in the center was still tonight, but appealing nevertheless. After listening well and hearing no one around, Scully knelt down and scooped up some water, drinking it from her cupped hands. Mulder followed suit, saying, "It was only a few days ago, I know, but it seems like an eternity has passed since the night I took you here."

"I know. Scary how time changes, no?"

Mulder opened his mouth to respond, when suddenly a strange rustling commenced in the bushes behind them. They rose quickly, muffling curses, as none other than Kerrilyn entered the clearing.

"Fancy meeting you here," she hummed, smiling. "Now, where exactly do you think you're going? No, don't answer that. It doesn't matter anyway. Oh, don't bother to run, Mulder." She lazily made the last comment, noting the twitching muscles in his legs.

"They have this place surrounded. Ugh, the incompetence. Were it not for me, they might have actually allowed you to escape. Disgusting, really. No they'll have no choice but to deal harshly with you. No matter how attractive that old coot finds you, Dana, even Lord Weatherby wouldn't marry you now. I mean, really, you both just broke out of the king's dungeon! You _have_ to know what the penalty is for that."

Mulder and Scully glanced at each other. "What?"

"Death," rejoined a deep, booming voice. Captain James strode angrily out of the woods, followed by no less than twenty armed soldiers. "Death by firing squad."

"Firing squad?" Mulder repeated questioningly, his curiosity momentarily outweighing the fear that was slowly creeping up his spine. "But. guns aren't invented yet."

"What are these 'guns' of which you speak? A firing squad - archers - longbow-men, to be precise."

Scully's face went even paler. "Arrows? That sounds..."

"Painful?" input another soldier. "Oh, yes, I'd say so. But that's only judging from the agonized screaming of the criminals."

"George, enough!" interrupted Captain James. He looked somewhat troubled by this turn of events, but knew that he had to keep order. "Guards, grab them. Let's move out. We can execute right away."

"Why, sir?"

"You didn't hear? Robert Parsons got pardoned. King's orders."

The soldier coughed. "So we execute the runaways without trial and let the murderer go free?"

"Shut up, Holoff."

"Yes, Sir."

Kerrilyn went white. "Wait a second, James. You're really going to kill them? Right now?"

"Isn't that what you wanted, Kerrilyn?"

"I…"

"Well, it's what you're getting. Please, go back to your room."

"I... I'm sorry… I didn't think…" she stammered to Mulder and Scully.

"It's a little late to rethink, no, Kerry?"

Mulder put his arms around Scully protectively, trying to quell her trembling despite his own.

They were moved to a long, dimly lit alley behind the palace. There was already a row of archers lined up at the far end.

"We brought you a substitution," called the captain. "Two, actually."

He turned to Mulder and Scully. "Now, I'm not going to tie you. Know why? Because if you were to trying running, I would be forced to kill you with a broadsword, and trust me, that is far worse. Takes longer, too, depending on where I hit."

"Mulder, I don't feel well."

"I know, Scully, I understand."

"No, that's not it! There's something weird happening to me..."

The captain rolled his eyes. "Stop with this foolish nonsense! Stand right there!"

They had no choice but to move so that the bows were pointed directly at them.

"So. This is it." Mulder shook his head. "It's truly… unbelievable. I mean."

"I know. Who would have thought?"

"_Ready!_" yelled the captain.

"I. I love you, Scully."

"And I love you."

"_Aim!_"

Scully buried her head in his chest, and Mulder tightened his arms around her.

"_Fire!_"

Then, their world went black.

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Okay, just one more chapter to go!

Please, please review!


	12. Finis et Initium

Thanks to **BrittanyLS, midheaven, jenforvel, LanaJoy, justawriter, **and **meesh26. **I love all of you guys for reviewing!

Okay, last chapter. FYI, the title of this one means "End and Begin" in Latin. I thought that was appropriate as the title of the story is in Latin too…

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 12 – Finis et Initium **

Scully yawed drowsily as she woke in her bed. The light that filtered in through her closed eyes made it seem like morning, but she was still too tired yet to fully awaken.

Something drifted and danced at the corners of her mind, something important, but she couldn't quite bring it into focus. There were just vague images: a field, horses, armor, a witch, arrows, a dress, kissing Mulder, waking up next to him…

Even in the privacy of her room, Scully blushed at this last thought. She had been trying to keep those feelings under wrap for a long time…

_A dream,_ she decided. _It was all a dream. _

She moved to stretch when her hand suddenly brushed something warm. She froze. She sat up and quickly opened her eyes to find Mulder lying next to her, still sleeping. Her head spun. _But that was just a dream, I would remember if he came here. _

Tentatively, she leaned over him. "Mulder?" she whispered, not wanting to startle him. "Mulder! Wake up."

He slowly blinked his eyes open. "Scully?" he said sleepily. "But I thought we were dead…"

"What?"

"We were shot, with the arrows…"

The dream suddenly became clearer in her mind. "Yes, yes, but that was only a dream. And, wait, that was _my_ dream. That's odd… More importantly, though, Mulder, what are you doing here?"

"Actually, Scully, I'm not quite sure." His voice was clearer now, more awake, but the confusion in it was evident. "I pretty clearly remember falling asleep in my chair in the office."

"Yes, and I most definitely fell asleep here, alone."

"Weird…"

"Mulder, don't start…"

"Paranormal, even…."

Scully sat up and crossed her arms in annoyance. "So, what are you saying? That we actually were transported through time? There has to be a reasonable explanation for this, Mulder."

He rolled his eyes at this. "Come on, Scully. Something weird happened. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. My question is: did time really pass? Did we really travel back there? I mean, it makes sense, in a way. I knew there was something about that water. Maybe drinking it got us back… But why were we there in the first place."

A moment of silence passed. Then, Scully looked up and said in a tone of mild amusement, "You know what? I have absolutely no clue. But, Mulder, you're still in my bed."

He reddened and was moving to rise when the phone rang. Instinctively, he reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"

Skinner's voice was tinged with confusion as he asked, "Agent Mulder? What are you doing at Agent Scully's house at four in the morning?"

"Umm… Actually, Sir, I'm not quite sure."

Mulder could almost hear Skinner raise an eyebrow at this. "Right. Well, whatever you discover that you are doing there, just don't let it affect anything at the office, okay?"

"Of course, Sir."

"Good. I was just calling after getting no answer at your house – your jacket and briefcase are still sitting in the X-files office, and the lights are on and the door is unlocked. I found that just a little odd."

"I find that odd, too, Sir."

"Well, get down here and rectify it before everyone else starts getting here, okay?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And, Agent Mulder?"

"Yes, Sir."

"If anyone asks, I will deny that I ever said this, but from me to you both, congratulations."

He hung up quickly after this, leaving Mulder holding the phone. Scully, who had heard every word, leaned over him to hang it up.

They looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. When they had calmed, Scully cocked her head contemplatively. "He said 'congratulations', Mulder."

"Yes, he did."

"I guess that's his way of giving us permission to explore this… this thing that we have going on between us."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"I can't define that, Mulder. Not any better than I can explain what we're doing here together in the first place…"

"Maybe they're connected, Scully. You know Jung's 'everything happens for a reason'?"

"Oh, so there was a reason that we were purportedly flung through time and space, only to be killed and wake up in a different way than we fell asleep? That makes me feel much better."

"Don't be facetious, I mean it. Now, in this time, we never would have taken that step. We needed to be in completely different circumstances before either of us worked up the courage to actually deal with our feelings. And the fact that we did…

Well, I'm happy about it, for one. And I don't want to just forget about it and let it go. I don't want to move on with our lives denying that there's anything more than friendship between us. I can't do it anymore…"

"Mulder, I know. We shouldn't have to. There are just so many considerations… But, I guess if Skinner gave his approval…"

She smiled tentatively and turned to face him. Mulder returned her smile. He moved slowly towards her, cupping her face in his hands, giving her time to change her mind, to pull away. But she surprised him by raising her lips to meet his.

Mulder broke this kiss a little later to murmur, "Would you mind being just a little late to work today, Scully? Come on, just once…"

Scully laughed. "I never could resist those eyes, Mulder. I think that might be okay."

He smiled and kissed her again.

In the back of her mind, it occurred to Scully that, just maybe, time travel might be possible. After all, there are some things that just can't be explained…

These thoughts drifted away, however, as she decided to for once let herself get caught up in this moment, and not worry about any others, past or future. Right now is enough.

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Thank you all for reading; I hope you enjoyed the story. And, one more time, I ask you to please, please give me some feedback!


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